The Sarawak layer cake, (Malay: kek lapis Sarawak or kek lapis moden Sarawak or kek lapis^[1]) is a renowned delicacy from state of Sarawak, Malaysia, which comes in normal layers or in intricate patterns. This cake is distinguished by its intricate layers, vibrant colours, and rich flavours. It has become an integral part of Sarawakian culinary culture and an icon, celebrated for its craftsmanship and unique taste.

This cake that has its origin from Indonesia's lapis legit. They're also often baked and served for religious or cultural celebrations such as Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas, Deepavali, Gawai, birthdays and weddings. It can be found almost everywhere in Sarawak and a favourite gift bought by visitors as it is available all year around. These high demands open up the doors to the development of kek lapis Sarawak baking industry.^[2]

The Sarawak layer cake, with its origin rooted in Indonesia's lapis legit or kek lapis Betawi (Batavia, the old name of Jakarta).^[3][4] draws influence from a European spit cake^[5][6] made by Dutch administrator's wives during the colonial period in Batavia. It found its way to Sarawak in the 1970s and 1980s, brought in by the Betawis.

Originally served during evening tea.^[3], this spiced Betawi cake boasted a unique blend of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and star anise, creating a distinctive flavour profile.^[7] As the Betawi community spread across Peninsular Malaysia, Johoreans especially embraced the recipe, preserving its original spiced essence.

However, Sarawak took a distinctive path, infusing new ingredients, flavours, and colours into the layered cake, leading to the emergence of the modern Sarawak layer cake.^[8] This innovative adaptation occurred as the Sarawak people added their own touches to the traditional recipe, resulting in a delightful variation unique to the region.^[9]

Sarawakian modern layered cakes can be divided into two types: cakes with ordinary layers and cakes with patterns, motifs, or shapes. All must have at least two colours. The cake can be baked in an oven or microwave. The batter uses butter, margarine or vegetable oil, milk and eggs, and requires a strong arm or electric mixer to be properly prepared. The baked cake has a high, firm texture and the layers are fastened together with jam or a similarly sticky sweet substance. More detailed cakes often require special moulds to maintain the perfect layer thickness.

BBC in its article,^[10] described it:

Also called the Sarawak layer cake, kek lapis typically has a minimum of 12 layers. The cake is created by carefully adding one thin layer of batter after another onto a baking pan every few minutes, broiling (or grilling) each layer in the oven to ensure the lower layers are never burnt. The plain version alternates light and dark strips of cake batter, whereas the coloured cakes have geometric patterns that, depending on the final pattern, can involve 20 or more layers. The final cake is cooled and then cut into strips, with different pieces reassembled using thick jam or condensed milk as adhesive. Often, multiple cakes have to be baked, and pieces from each of them are assembled to create a complex pattern. This is then wrapped up in a thin cake layer of a single colour, or arranged between two sets of plain (ie, with no colours or patterns) multi-layered cakes.

In Malaysia, kek lapis Sarawak (Sarawak layer cake) has been a protected geographical indication since 2010.^[11] This means that any product may only be called "kek lapis Sarawak/Sarawak layer cake" if it is manufactured in Sarawak according to the specifications of the Sarawak Layer Cake Manufacturers Association. It is illegal to label a similarly-manufactured cake "kek lapis Sarawak/Sarawak layer cake" if it is not actually made in Sarawak, and strictly speaking, producers outside the state may only legally name their products "Sarawak-style" layer cake.